NPR media reporter David Folkenflik writes in his forthcoming book Murdoch's World that Fox News' public relations staffers used an elaborate series of dummy accounts to fill the comments sections of critical blog posts with pro-Fox arguments.
In a chapter focusing on how Fox utilized its notoriously ruthless public relations department in the mid-to-late 00's, Folkenflik reports that Fox's PR staffers would "post pro-Fox rants" in the comments sections of "negative and even neutral" blog posts written about the network. According to Folkenflik, the staffers used various tactics to cover their tracks, including setting up wireless broadband connections that "could not be traced back" to the network.
A former staffer told Folkenflik that they had personally used "one hundred" fake accounts to plant Fox-friendly commentary:
"On the blogs, the fight was particularly fierce. Fox PR staffers were expected to counter not just negative and even neutral blog postings but the anti-Fox comments beneath them. One former staffer recalled using twenty different aliases to post pro-Fox rants. Another had one hundred. Several employees had to acquire a cell phone thumb drive to provide a wireless broadband connection that could not be traced back to a Fox News or News Corp account. Another used an AOL dial-up connection, even in the age of widespread broadband access, on the rationale it would be harder to pinpoint its origins. Old laptops were distributed for these cyber operations. Even blogs with minor followings were reviewed to ensure no claim went unchecked." [Murdoch's World, pg. 67]
In the book's endnotes, Folkenflik explains that "four former Fox News employees told me of these practices." It's unclear whether these tactics are ongoing.
As the owner of a liberal blog let me help with that question. Yes they are still using those tactics.
So for all of you who wondered if you were being paranoid in thinking that there were people paid to come here and defend Sarah Palin, nope you weren't.
They are paid way too much SarahPAC 'postage,' or Fox pennies to defend their lame brand spokesmodel - also too, their work sucks and can be detected a mile away.
ReplyDeleteOh, you beat me to the "postage" analogy.
DeleteI'm glad their sneaky, dirty tactics are seeing the light of day. Sarah does the same thing also, too!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are paid trolls on Facebook and other social media sites. They are like trained chimps repeating talking points and hurling personal insults at all who disagree.
ReplyDeleteIs Krusty the Palin Troll paid? If not, she is a Fool.
ReplyDeleteWhen Bristol gets her nickers in a twist, it really is obvious how much they pay attention to this blog.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing about Queen Esther trolls, paid or not, on this and other blogs/websites. Do they ever have a coherent argument over what she stands for? Nope, just name-calling and blather. JUST. LIKE. HER.
ReplyDelete1. all books are propaganda for something
ReplyDelete2. double standards will never die and liberals are the worst offenders
Well speak of the devil!
DeleteTexasMel
mmm hmm...
DeleteIf you are getting paid by the word, you'll need to do much better than that
Unfolkenflickable!
Delete6:25 If you think that IM'ers are critical of Sarah Palin, you might want to take a look at the over 3000 negative comments about Sarah Palin at Huffington Post.
Delete"all books are propaganda for something"
Deletedumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb...
Whatchu talkin bout G? Really? For real for real?Get the shit out of here.
ReplyDeleteThey only fooled themselves, surly not this site.
The man is weird and crooked as his Mr burns' fingers.
Mr wonderful was caught tapping phones and blackmailing people, celebrities and hopefully assholes like the insufferable palin family. he mocks the gop AKa baggers and the idiots love it.
palin is murdoch's bitch.
OT - Steve Schmidt profile in NYT
ReplyDelete“If I knew two days before what I knew two days later, I would have handcuffed myself to the truck to prevent him from leaving the compound,” Mr. Schmidt said, recalling the moment that Mr. McCain left to announce his selection.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/fashion/steve-schmidt-a-career-resurrected-after-mccain-and-palin.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytimespolitics
If I'm counting correctly, 'two days later' was Aug. 31. And on Sept. 1, the McCain campaign issued a news release on Bristol's pregnancy. So what, if any, other major flaws did Schmidt learn about their VP candidate besides her fake pregnancy?
"McCain officials said the news of the daughter's pregnancy was being released to rebut what one aide called 'mud-slinging and lies' that have circulated on liberal blog sites'...'pushing a false story about Gov. Palin's most recent pregnancy with fervor,' said senior McCain adviser Nicolle Wallace."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/09/01/us-usa-politics-palin-idUSN2944356420080901
Isn't that cheating? Like a sitting governor using both a state issued e-mell account AND personal yahoo accounts to do state business?
ReplyDeleteEither one, the fish stinks from the head down.
They used Texting as a means of heading off FOIA requests also too. That's why old hammer-fingers was glued to her two Blackberries (that and to read all her Prayer Warrior ass-kissing.)
DeleteAre they still doing it at Huffington Post.
ReplyDeleteI remember this from 2008 (written by a Dutch journalist):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.salon.com/2008/09/24/mccain_letters/
No surprise that fake comment accounts were used. I'm sure this is part of the reason most GOP pundits were surprised when Obama resoundingly beat Romney in 2012. They post so many lies to neutralize actual facts that they created their own echo chamber.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute, Gryphen, are you saying all this time I could have been writing my fake angry severe conservative rants on your defunct blog as a highly paid employee of Murdoch's NewsCorp, with a generous pension, company car, health insurance (with optical and dental, also, too) and cafeteria privileges instead of being compensated by you mostly in old obscure political campaign bumper stickers and discarded beer bottle caps???? I wont stand for this exploitation. Unless you come up with a better compensation package you leave me no choice but to DOUBLE my postings here. And that's no idle threat, buddy boy! Remember, I could be writing the same crap for ScreechyPAC and be paid handsomely in postage! (meth)
ReplyDeleteIf SarahPAC really spent as much on postage as reported, the USPS would be showing a profit.
ReplyDeletePerhaps compensation for faux blog comments *is* part of the postage.
DeleteThey're "posting", aren't they?